Through The Eyes Of A Rebel
by eyesdyedblack
Summary: Umm, well really it's just Patrick's POV. Other stuff happens too though so dont worry, it isnt just a rip off of the movie...
1. Embarrass The Girl

Ok, this story is from Patrick's POV during the time of the movie as well as after.

Disclaimer: No, as you have probably already noticed, I _don't_ own any of these characters. Shame really.

**Chapter One:**

"_Embarrass The Girl"_

I'm not the sort of person who really goes into a bookshop for fun so I wasn't too surprised that she suspected me of stalking her. Well, I wasn't....not illegally anyway. Kat shoved the novel into my chest and stormed out of the store. I looked down at the book pinned to my torso and had to grin. Well, that didn't work, I told myself, back to the hunt, though.

"Embarrass the girl," was Cameron's oh-so-helpful suggestion. Great. I am a pro at embarrassing myself but doing it on purpose? A whole different ballgame there.

I consulted my mother on the matter. I know, I know, not the coolest thing in the world to do but then again, she _was_ a teenage girl once, and from what I've heard from my grandparents and her friends, not the most sociable of butterflies either.

My mother regarded me from over her cup of Jarrah hot chocolate, "Patrick," she looked at me pityingly, "what have you gotten yourself into this time?"

I hate it when she does that. It seems so obviously humiliating and I know she does it on purpose.

"Forget it," I mumbled and got up from the chair I had been occupying whilst seeking counsel. She laughed.

"Aww, Patrick, don't chuck a fruity," (one of my mum's favourite sayings. We moved from Australia about eight years ago and while I may have gone slightly 'Americano', as my mother calls it, she still retains all that is Aussie), "come back here and I'll try to help you out." She patted the bed next to her and I rolled my eyes as I stopped in my tracks and obliged.

"What's her name?" was her first question.

"Katarina," I told her, using Kat's full name. I felt doing this added a little extra to the dilemma of winning her over. Scrap that, it makes it sound as though I don't like her. I do, its just that, well, having accepted money for it makes it sound as though it's a chore.

Mum thought for a moment. Probably thinking of more questions to ask me in the process of probing information out of me that I usually wouldn't tell her. I was right.

"How did you meet her?"

Shit. How am I supposed to explain this one? Some asshole paid me money to bone her? I don't think so.

"We're in the same literature class," I lied and congratulated myself on the spur of the moment answer.

"Oh, well, that's nice," my mother, not one for the usual motherly answers, really took the cake for that one.

I rolled my eyes, "mum, concentrate. You are meant to be helping me remember? Heeeeeelping," I drew the word out in attempts to snap her out of this stupor she seemed to be in. It seemed to work too.

"Right," that was more like mum, back to business, "well, what is she interested in?"

"Er..." truth was, I knew exactly what she was interested in. Only problem was, I had no intention of embellishing on any of the things she liked.

"Music," I settled on. Safe enough, I thought.

"Sing for her," my mother answered promptly. So promptly, in fact, that I wasn't sure at first that I had heard what she said.

"W-what?" I stammered. She couldn't possibly have just said-

"Sing for her," mum repeated, slower and more clearly this time.

I stared at her in disbelief, "you're kidding right? Sing? Me?"

"Sure," mum said comfortably, "I've heard you in the shower, you aren't bad," she added. Needless to say I was turning a very attractive shade of crimson right now.

"Ok," I said slowly, "but how? Its not like I can get her alone in a room with a microphone conveniently plugged in, is it?"

"But that's the whole point, love," she stopped to take a sip of her hot chocolate and I waited impatiently for what else she had to say on the matter. Unfortunately for me, though, once she had finished her drink, she merely sat in silence, looking at me expectantly as though I was meant to say the next line.

"What's the whole point?" I asked finally, amazed that she had nothing else to say.

She rolled her eyes at me as though the answer was obvious. Well, it probably was to her. To me, on the other hand, I needed a little more explaining to be done.

"You do it in front of a crowd. Embarrass her like Carmichael said."

"Cameron," I corrected her absentmindedly as the horrific event unfolded in my mind. I could picture it now. I would be singing something tacky like 'What's New, Pussy Cat?' merely because it featured her name. I could even hear the laughter and feel the burning feeling on my face from the inevitable embarrassment I would feel. I shook my head to get rid of the mental image and stared at my mother as though she had suddenly jumped out of bed and started to dance to the same song I had just been envisioning. I looked at her in horror.

"Um, no!"

"Why not?" Mum asked, offended that I would reject her suggestion so passionately.

I didn't even bother to dignify that with a response. To save myself from the prospect of having to explain exactly why I didn't feel the urge to stand up in front of a crowd and sing to a girl who would ultimately turn me down anyway I pushed myself off the bed and began to walk out of the room.

"I'm the only one who can help," mum reminded me cruelly just before I reached the door. I turned around to find her smiling sweetly at me. I then did something no-one but my mum has ever seen me do. I admit it, I whined.

"Then heeeeelp me," I made a face and sat back down on the bed.

Mum shook her head, "you smoke, you listen to scary music, you drink like a fish but you're still my little boy aren't you?"

I grinned, "forever and ever," I said in a little-kiddie voice.

Mum rolled here eyes for the second time during this conversation and beckoned me back over to where she sat.

**Well there you go. My first chapter completed. See? Patrick isn't as horrible and mean and scary as all that after all. He's a perfectly normal person underneath that scary exterior. Chapter two to be posted soon, I just have to write it...**


	2. Too Good To Be True

**Chapter Two:**

"_Too Good To Be True"_

It was that conversation that led to me, standing at the very top of the school oval's stands, the microphone I had just paid a considerable sum of money to acquire the use of, slipping slightly out of my nervous grasp. Taking a deep breath I stepped around the corner and looked down at the soccer practice going on down below where I stood.

"You're just too good to be true," I started to sing, stumbling on the first few words in my state of nervousness, "cant take my eyes off of you." I was wishing and hoping with my whole heart that the ground would open up and accept me into the depths below.

"You'd be like heaven to touch," I wonder if she's seen me yet. If she has, I started to say a brief silent prayer, please let her appreciate what I am putting at stake here.

"I wanna hold you so much," maybe if it didn't work I could change schools. There were other schools in Seattle, I was sure of it, and one of them would take a senior year student halfway through the year....right?

"My long lost love has arrived, I'm so glad I'm alive," Damn you, mum. If I live through this I'm going to refuse to take the garbage out for three months.

"You're just too good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you," I pointed to her, hoping the added effect would increase my chances of survival.

Just then the marching band started up, causing the girls on the soccer team with Kat to cheer. Unfortunately their cheering triggered a large amount of nervous-induced male cockiness inside me and before I knew it I was running all over the stands, dancing to the best of my limited ability.

"I love you, baby, and if it's quite all right, I need you, baby, to warm the lonely nights. I love you, baby, trust in me when I say..."

Good God, is that the security? Well, if I was going to get in trouble, I might as well do it in true Verona style. My mother told me once that when they were at school together dad streaked across the football field. Yes, my father was seen by hundreds of students, teachers and parents alike, completely in the buff.

After what seemed like forever, I finished the song and even added a few of my own flourishes such as slapping the more portly of the two security guards smartly on the behind. I even managed to escape their clutches for the duration of the song. Afterwards, however, I felt as though the longer I held them off, the longer and harsher my punishment would be. That's how I ended up in Perky's office about ten minutes later.

She shut her laptop with a snap and smiled at me over the top of it.

"Hello, Patrick," she started as she clasped her hands together and lay her elbows on the desk, one either side of the laptop, "why are you here this time?"

I blinked at her. She knew why I was here, they always gave her a memo on what the student had done to earn this important invitation to the guidance counselor's office before the student was admitted in so that she could think of something encouraging and short to say before they got there. This way she could launch right into her speech, prattle on for a minute or two and dismiss them quickly so that she could get back to the steamy romance novel she was writing.

"I shot a teacher," I said with a straight face. I had to give myself credit for that, usually I can never keep a straight face when something is funny.

"Did you?" I really have no idea why she was acting so interested in what I had done. Maybe she had reached a boring part in her story and had no inspiration right now.

"Yes. Can I go to detention now?"

She smiled at me, "not yet, Crocodile Dundee. I want to know why you have this sudden interest in Katarina Stratford."

For absolutely no reason that I could summon up, I actually felt a sudden rush of terror as I thought about having to explain to a teacher that I was being paid so that another guy could have sex. Fortunately that only lasted a moment or two before I realised that I didn't have to tell them the truth. I know its pathetic but I actually thought that telling the truth was the only option.

"What do you mean? I like her. I would like to have sex with her," I smiled sweetly at her hoping that if I was rude she might send me straight to the detention hall where I could tune out and not have to talk to anyone. Ah, solitude. How sweet it seemed while talking to Ms Perky.

"Mmm hmm," Perky pushed her laptop to one side and watched me through her bug-like eyeglasses, "well, whatever it is you're doing to her, keep it up. She hasn't been sent in here in over a week."

"Really?" I was surprised. Kat was usually in here even more that I was. Anyone with half a brain could see that her rebellion was just basic teenage behavior but everyone made out that she was some kind of delinquent out to destroy the faculty. Well, isn't everyone?

"Yes. In fact," Perky continued, holding up her coffee cup as she did so, "I have decided that your little stint out on the oval, while having to earn some sort of punishment, will not be as bad as all that."

Something was up.

"Why?" I asked her suspiciously. I had been coming in here every week since I arrived at this stupid school and I knew that Elvira Perky was not the sort of women who makes allowances.

"As a sort of reward for turning one of our most feared female students into someone people aren't as afraid of anymore. You know, more people are signing up for soccer now that she isn't terrorizing the younger players anymore."

I leaned back in my chair, "well, that's just peachy. I am glad to extend my services to you. Could I have my punishment now please?"

Inspiration must have suddenly struck because Ms Perky slid her laptop back in front of her and pulled up the lid. Typing madly she said vaguely, "detention until five. Scoot!"

I rolled my eyes and got out of my seat. I waved to the secretary who seemed to be filling in for Judith while she was sick and she looked hurriedly back down at her computer screen. I sighed inwardly. Being a juvenile delinquent had its downside, that replacement was hot.

Detention hall was boring as usual. I had been there many times before and knew basically every single other person in there if not personally. Well, there were the occasional few who got shoved into detention for talking too much in class or for inadvertently causing havoc in the biology lab but most of the time it was the same group of guys getting caught smoking or vandalizing school property. I hope Kat understood that I was now sacrificing an entire afternoon of boredom for her. Though realistically, I knew my song and dance routine probably didn't make any difference whatsoever. Depressed slightly by this realization I slumped back into my seat and tried to tune my senses out so that the time would go a lot faster. Suddenly, however, something happened that made detention a lot more interesting.

Kat walked into the room and straight up to Mr. Chapin, the coach of her soccer team. When his back was turned she motioned to get my attention. She hissed something under her breath and gestured towards the back of the room. I shook my head to show her that I didn't have the slightest inkling of what she was talking about. She whispered a little louder and this time I heard what she said.

The window.

Oh God she was going to get me to sneak out the window. Um, Kat, I mentally tried to say to her, can you say 'suicide'?

Apparently she didn't care and she began to use different strange yet somewhat effective tactics to distract Mr. Chapin from my craven attempts to escape. To her credit she did make a complete idiot out of herself so I suppose that does make up for what I did to get in detention in the first place. At the last minute I accidentally let the window fall back with a clunk but before Mr. Chapin could turn around and catch me out Kat had completely sacrificed her dignity to help me escape. I have seen breasts on a girl before, and they had never made me laugh before. But something about the scene I had just witnessed made me roar with laughter as soon as I was around the corner of the school. Wiping my eye and trying to calm myself down I made me way down to the entrance of the school where I hoped she'd be. I was right. A minute after I got there, Kat arrived looking slightly embarrassed but smiled when she saw me.

"Thanks," I said returning the smile.

Kat shrugged, "it was nothing.

I repressed the urge to make any further comments and pulled my keys out of my pocket, "need a ride?"

Kat shook her head and pulled out her own set of keys, "no, I have my own ride," she watched me for a moment, perhaps deciding whether or not to say what she said next.

"But if you come to my house in about ten minutes I'll need a ride then."

"Yeah?" I leaned against the wall, trying not to think about the cigarette I would usually have in my hand at a moment like this, "Where to?"

Kat shrugged, "wherever."

I grinned at that. The girl was tamable after all. "Pick you up in ten minutes then?" I asked her and she nodded with a small smile as she turned away from me and started towards her car.

Thank you, I said a silent prayer to those above and walked towards my own vehicle.

Exactly ten minutes later I was driving somewhat slowly up Katarina Stratford's street. The slowness was partly due to not really recognizing Kat's house now that it was daylight and partly to my car. It had been misbehaving more and more frequently of late and right now it was making that strange clunking noise cars make before they stop completely. I should know, its happened to me enough times to become like a sixth sense. I wish I could have a cigarette but if Kat smelled it in the car when she got in there would be hell to pay and I didn't want to blow my chances. I searched the street with my eyes to determine which house was hers. Ah, there it is. I pulled up in front of the Stratford's house, hoping that the clunking noises wouldn't bring anyone to their windows. Getting out of my car I noticed that in the daylight, this street actually isn't a lot different to mine. It was quite creepy actually. Walking up the Stratford's front path I saw a flash of white in the upstairs window. A curtain being pulled back into place. Great, I thought to myself, I'm being watched either by her head case father or her conceited sister. Neither of these prospects gave me a lot of comfort. Just before I had the chance to ring the doorbell the door opened and Kat's face appeared.

"My dad was going to answer the door," she explained as I rose my eyebrows at her, "trust me, you _don't_ want to have to answer any of the questions he'd ask you."

"Ah," I said, understanding. I smiled at her, "ready?"

She nodded and closed the door behind her, "where are we going?"

I grinned at her, "boating."

I didn't blame her for the questioning look she gave me. I mean, who takes a girl boating? But she followed me to my car nonetheless and didn't ask anymore about it. I got into the drivers seat and prayed that it would start on either the first or second try. Success! It started on the first try and I grinned triumphantly much to Kat's confusion. I shrugged, "it usually doesn't start the first go."

"Oh," she nodded knowingly and I figured she must have the same trouble what with the piece of trash she drives. As we drove I tried to make conversation, "so, who was watching me out of the window when I first drove up?"

She laughed, "That would have been my father. Yeah, he likes to interview each boy that comes to our house," at this point she sat back and surveyed me, "then again, I wouldn't exactly call you a boy."

Ok, I'll admit I kinda took offense to that, "well what am I then?" I asked her, taking my eyes off the road for a moment to look at her. I hurriedly put them back, however, when I heard the sound of a horn being blasted in my direction.

She smiled and shrugged, "you're....too old to be a boy."

I hesitated then returned the smile.

When we got to the bay I parked somewhere I knew would have boats that would allow us to boat over to the paintball. Kat still suspected nothing but a harmless boat ride and I liked to keep it that way for a while at least. I parked the car and climbed out, locking the door behind me and beckoning for Kat to follow me. I led her down to the water where a man was standing amongst his colourful prized pedal boats. I paid for a round trip and told Kat to choose the colour.

Blue?

I wouldn't have expected that but I merely smiled and climbed into the boat. We unhooked the rope from the boat and started to pedal away. On the way Kat began to tell me a joke about a guy who ran for governor in a small town in Italy. This led me to tell her my favourite joke, the one about Cinderella going to the ball. Soon we were both laughing and just to see what her reaction would be I asked her how she managed to keep Chapin distracted while I crept out the window.

"Oh, I dazzled him with my....wits," she said casually before laughing again.

I grinned then turned serious as I began to ask her a question I had been wondering about for a while.

"So, what's your excuse? For acting the way we do," I added when she looked a little confused.

She stopped laughing and looked at me critically.

"I don't like to do what other people expect," she said without heat, "why should I live up to other people's expectations instead of my own?"

She had a point. I briefly thought about the reasons I dressed and acted the way I do. I had spent a year with my grandpa when he was ill and that really threw my family and routine out of whack. He did get better in the end but the damage had been done. I began to rebel against my family and the rest of authority all because I hated to see everybody so upset about my grandpa.

"So, you disappoint them from the start and then you're covered, right?" I wish I hadn't said that so cruelly. As soon as I had said it Kat looked a little embarrassed that I didn't see her point of view.

"Something like that," she said quietly.

I decided that now would be a good time to say something nice to her, even if it were just to make up for my brutal comment just before. "Well, then you screwed up."

She looked at me, a little baffled and I continued, "You never disappointed me." I turned to see her reaction and she smiled gratefully. I mentally berated myself for saying something so lame but she seemed happy so I smiled back at her. To break the silence that followed I cleared my throat and said, "are you up for it?"

"Up for what?" She followed my hand as I pointed towards the mainland where Paintballing Park was. She looked a little skeptical for a moment before a grin spread across her face and she nodded.

**Well, there's my second chapter up and running. Thank you to the ONE person who has reviewed so far! Hehe. Next chapter there shall be some fighting and a little romance...well, you know how the movie goes. Please review!!!**


	3. Something Real

**Chapter Three:**

_"Something real"_

"That'll be fifteen bucks for thirty minutes. If you hurt yourselves it ain't my fault. Your time starts now."

I grabbed my bucket of 'paintballs' and headed towards the entrance of the small arena in which we would be using up some of our natural teenage anger on each other. I had unwillingly pulled my hair back away from my face in the hopes of preventing some casualty that may happen if I had hair in my face. Thinking that it may be unsportly of me to throw the first water balloon I let her go first. In all actual fact I think that she hurt me more than I was planning on hurting her.

"Oof!" she groaned as one of my own balloons connected with her stomach, she doubled over and I threw another one just to be mean. I knew she wouldn't mind if I played a little harder than I had originally intended. In fact I had a small inkling that if I were to go easy on her it might really piss her off. Running around the small park we soon found ourselves either side of one of the painted pipes used as mini shelters and I am sorry to say but Kat came out better from it. I wasn't going to take that, though. Pulling her to the ground, I flung off my goggles and looked at her. She was beautiful, even covered in paint. I hadn't been planning on it but I leaned down towards her anyway. She let me kiss her, opening her mouth for further entry. She even put her arm around my neck and pulled me closer, making me want to kiss her even more. This was reasonably short lived, though, as it was cut short by Kat's insatiable need to win.

After our thirty minutes was up I drove her back to her house and on the way I decided to continue in my tradition to ask her mindless questions and asked her whether or not some of the rumours I had heard about her were true. I mean, I'd kissed the girl so I felt I had earned the right to know whether or not she did own her own bondage kit. She laughed and admitted, "no, not to my knowledge."

She then asked me whether I had actually dated Marilyn Manson and I looked at her in mock outrage, "whoever told you that is a liar!" I told her heatedly before turning back to the road, "we're only friends," I finished with a grin and she burst out laughing again.

Soon the rumours were flying and some, such as the one about the five ounces of pure cocaine found in a hollowed out centre of her math book, she even looked surprised at herself.

When we got back to her house we were still swapping truths but one thing I didnt want to tell her about was my whereabouts of last year. The depressing atmosphere of hospitals and dingy houses were still fresh in my mind and I didn't feel that much like elaborating on that right now. Luckily she didnt pressure the matter.

"Tell me something real," Kat sat down next to me and looked at me in the eye.

"Something real...?" I thought for a moment about the things I could possibly tell her. That my father was currently in jail for wrongful possession of illegal cannabis? That my own sister died in a car accident when I was ten, causing my mother to leave Australia, her place of birth and the place she had all her memories simply because she couldnt stand being in a place that reminded her so much of Sarah? No, I couldn't tell her any of that, not yet. I finally settled on something safe and funny. I had been covering up my life with pathetic jokes for almost half my life, what would one more hurt?

"I hate peas," I told her with a smile. She laughed and lightly slapped my shoulder.

"No," she said obviously, "something real, something nobody else knows."

Great. More pressure. Well, Kat, I'm sorry but you aren't going to learn about little Patty's twisted childhood today. I thought of ways to make her forget all about how she wanted to know things about me that I hadn't told anyone else.

"Well," I leaned forward and brushed her hair back, lightly kissing her neck, "you're sweet..." I leaned around to her other side and did the same thing, "and sexy..." I leaned back and looked at her, "and completely hot for me."

She laughed again and out of sheer relief she didn't ask me anymore questions I leaned forward and kissed her mouth.

"You're amazingly self assured, has anyone ever told you that?" she asked me.

"I tell myself that everyday actually," I said as solomnly as I could before laughing again.

Then with a shock I remembered Donner's deal. My stomach sank as I thought of his requiring Kat to go to the prom in order for him to be able to deflower her younger sister. There was no way around it.

"Come to the prom with me," I said as nicely and (what I hoped was) romantically as I could.

"Is that a request or a command?"

"Come on, go with me," I urged her.

She stopped laughing, "no," she said after a moment.

"Why not?" I asked her, a little annoyed at she had turned me down so forcefully.

"Because I dont want to, because it's a stupid tradition," she started but I cut her off.

"People wont expect you to go," I said, hoping that may convince her to do something she so obviously didn't want to do.

She suddenly looked me in the eye, "what's in it for you?" she asked me.

It was perhaps the fact that she was so correct that I snapped at her what I did next.

"Answer the question, Patrick," she coldly ignored my statement.

"Nothing is in it for me, nothing but the pleasure of your company," for around two weeks I had been craving the cigarette I now stuck in my mouth. I know that it probably wasn't the best way to convince her to go to with me but I have never been the most practical type. So I didn't really blame her when she glared at me and snatched it out of my mouth before storming back inside.

"Good one, Verona," I berated myself for being the world's biggest prick before getting up off the Stratford's front verandah and making my way back to my car. When I got home I did something I didn't think I'd need to do. I called Cameron.

His mother picked up on the third ring, "hello?"

"Er, hi," ever the vocabulary enthusiast that was the best I could come up with, "is Cameron there?"

"Cameron?" she sounded skeptical and I realised that not many people would call her son often, "I'll just get him."

"Hello?" Cameron's slightly high pitched voice picked up the receiver a moment later, sounding curious as to who would be calling him.

"Cameron? It's Patrick. Verona," I added in case he was a little dense.

"Oh, hey," Cameron sounded faintly surprised and why wouldn't he? Last week I was attempting to drill a hole through his....well anyway, I didnt blame him, "what's up?"

"Well, I was wondering if inviting Bianca to the prom is all that important to you after all," I said tiredly.

Cameron clucked his tongue, "things not going to well with the shrew?"

I took slight offense at that. I mean, if I liked her what did that make me?

"_Kat_ doesn't want to go to the prom," I said a little testily and Cameron exhaled loudly.

"Damn. Well...I'm out of ideas sorry," Cameron sounded apologetic and I was too tired even to care.

"Join the club," I told him shortly, "I thought all girls wanted to go to the prom. It's like, weird American tradition, right?"

Cameron laughed, "not all girls. Not all guys either. Would _you_ be going if you weren't receiving a fee?"

I thought about that before admitting, "no, I guess now. What's your point?" I asked him a little testily.

I could almost see him shurgging, "well, it's not for everyone."

I nodded absentmindedly as I eyed the half empty packet of cigarettes on my windowsill. Listening to Cameron's lecture on knowing what girl's want I tried to make the phone cord stretch to the other side of my room. Finding this impossible I slumped back downonto my bed and cut Cameron off as gently as I could.

"Yeah, I know, man. But what can I do to make her...well, at least look at me again. I don't fancy being hit with a soccer ball at top speed again." The image of the ball speeding towards me were still fresh in my mind and I shuddered to think that it could happen again.

"Well, it didn't actually _hit_ you," Cameron logically pointed out.

"Hrmph," I huffed at him and he laughed.

"Flowers never go astray," Cameron said thoughtfully, "then again, she seems to be the sort of girl who might eat the heads off any flowers presented to her."

I couldn't help myself, I let a snort of laughter escape at the image of Kat eating roses. Cameron laughed for a moment himself before saying, "uh, I have another call coming in. Talk to you tomorrow?"

I didn't have the energy to protest that I needed his help, "sure, tomorrow," I told him wearily and hung up. Laying back down on my bed I shut my eyes and thought of how I could possibly get back on Kat's good side. The problem was, I wasn't even doing it for the money anymore and this only made it seem even more crucial that I win her back.

**Ahh, don't you just love it when there are three chapters up? It makes it seem so much better than two hehe. Thanks for my reviews so far guys and I hopefully will have received more by the end of my fourth chapter glares at reviewers right??**

**Hehe chapter four will be up soon and hopefully it wont be as crappy as this one was. Finger's crossed!**


	4. Sorry

**Chapter Four**

_"Sorry"_

I accepted the phone from my mother's outstretched hand and held it to my ear.

"Hello?" I said groggily as I watched my mother shut the door behind her.

"Patrick?" Kat's familiar voice floated from the other end of the connection and I mentally tried to wake myself up so that I would sound like a human being when I answered her.

"Kat," I tried to look at my watch but found my eyes were too bleary to see what it said so I gave up, "what's up?"

I tried to sit up in order to get my thoughts together. Judging from the sounds coming from the kitchen it was pretty early. My mother was only just making coffee and she is not one to sleep late.

"It's about yesterday," Kat said after a moment, "and the prom."

I did wake up a little after that and remembered the day before. The prom. The fight. Damn, it was all coming back to me. I wasn't really sure what to say next so I just nodded to myself and said, "right..."

"I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry I reacted so suspiciously," she launched straight into this speech and I'm sorry to say that due to the earliness of the morning I didn't actually hear most of what she was saying. I think I got the jist, thought, and I think she was apologising.

"It was wrong of me and I just wanted to say that I would really like to go with you. If you still want to go with me, that is," she added sounding as though it had just occured to her that I wouldn't accept her apology.

I thought for a moment. In a way I was glad that she had rejected me the first time. It had actually eased my concience a little as I would be able to say to Donner truthfully that it hadn't worked. For another thing, I didn't want to go to the prom. But she was apologising to me when I knew that I was the one in the wrong and I couldn't tell her I didn't want to go.

"Kat," I started, "It was my fault, dont apologise." She waited as a took a deep breath then continued, "I would very much like it if you would go to the prom with me. Please." I added. I waited in silence for her to speak and after a moment or two, she did.

"Okay," she said simply. The silence kind of took over then and I struggled to find something to say. Fortunately Kat beat me to it.

"Did I wake you up?" she asked me. Unfortunately sleep induced stupidity caused me to tell her the truth and she laughed.

"Sorry," she apologised again and I laughed too.

"Don't worry about it. I should be getting up at...what time is it?" I asked her.

"Nine o'clock," she told me casually and I groaned.

"It isn't normal to be up this early, you know," I told her solomnly and she laughed nervously. I kicked myself for making things so awkward between us. Even the period of time where she hated me profusely was better than this.

"Yeah..." she didn't exactly sound like she liked the silence either so I decided to save us both. Details. Everyone can talk about details. And tonight's were pretty important.

"Um, so, do you want me to pick you up tonight?" I thought about the money in my pants pocket. Well, at least I hoped it was in my pants pocket. My pants were crumpled up on the floor...somewhere. I vaguely scanned the room for my jeans as I began to tell her I'd rent a limo and everything.

"No," she cut me off quickly, "I'll meet you there."

"Oh," that took me by surprise. But then again, she was a surprising girl, "okay."

"Great, well I'll see you tonight then," she said cheerfully.

"Tonight," I echoed.

"Seeya then."

_Click_.

Okay, that was weird.

"Was that the girl you were trying to impress the other day?" Mum surveyed me over her cup of coffee as I wandered into the kitchen in search of caffeine.

"Yeah," I told her absently as I searched for the kettle.

"So?" she sounded expectant so I turned around from my venture.

"What?"

She sighed impatiently, "did it work?" she demanded to know.

Yes? No? Sort of?

"Sort of," I told her and she rolled her eyes.

"Am I going to get any sense out of you before twelve?" she wanted to know.

"Probably not," I told her truthfully, exclaiming happily as I discovered the kettle was full of already boiled water.

"Hmm...Well what are you doing tonight, Patrick?" she finished her cup of coffee and got up to pour herself another cup as I sat down at the table opposite her.

I mumbled something incoherent so that I could say that I'd told her and she wouldn't ask questions. It usually worked when i didn't want her to know where I was going, be it dangerous, forbidden or (much like this time) downright embarrassing. She didn't buy it though.

"What?" she fixed a beady eye on me suspiciously and I rolled my eyes. Fine. I'll tell her. I was only trying to save her years of therapy from hearing that her only son was actually going to get dressed up in a tuxedo and prance around at a prom.

"I said, I'm going to the prom." I told her a little more clearly. I waited for the laughter, the fainting or the crying but when I gained enough confidence to look at her she was just standing with her mouth open.

"You," she began when she got her voice back, "are going....to a prom?"

"Yes," I told her defiantly. Oh no. No no no don't do it!

"I knew you'd stop this rebellion thing eventually!" she cried, voice breaking as she enveloped me into a hug.

"Mum! Get off me!" I frantically tried to prise her off of me but she clung on tight. Finally I gave up and attempted to sip my coffee as she clung to me. She eventually let go, much to my relief, and looked at me critically.

"What are you going to wear?"

Crap. What _was_ I going to wear? I shrugged and Mum dragged me out of my chair up towards her bedroom.

"Uh, where are we going?" I asked her as we went.

"There is a tux your size in my wardrobe that Cousin Louie left here last time he stayed.

I decided not to ask why Cousin Louie brought a tux last time he stayed. Best not to know.

A few minutes later I was standing in front of my mother's mirror in a full tuxedo. I looked like an idiot. Even Mum couldn't keep the grin off her face. I glared at her.

"It fits," she pointed out.

Well...so what? I still look like a complete moron.

"Try taking off the bowtie and just wearing the jacket," Mum suggested as she circled me like a vulture.

I did what she suggested and I had to admit that did soften the blow a bit.

"Perfect," Mum smiled happily and I shrugged.

I guess it would have to do. It's not like I have anything else to wear. Now, where were those shoes...

**Wow, I didn't think that chapters could actually be that pointless but there you have it! Hehe. Thankyou to all those who have reviewed. I have NINE reviews now and I am stoked! Tell your friends to review! Tell your friends to tell their friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends to tell _their_- well you get the idea. Next chapter coming soon! **


	5. Not Who I Thought You Were

**Chapter Five**

_"Not who I thought you were"_

Since I knew I wouldn't get a parking space outside the Hilton where the prom was being held, mum dropped me off outside. As I walked inside I felt an unsatiable sense of trepidation that refused to go away no matter how many deep breaths I took. It was the kind that usually emerges on one's first day of school or when they meet the mayor. Not that I had ever met the mayor but that isn't the point. Going into the front lobby I went up to the front desk to ask for directions before noticing the large sign displaying the words "Padua Prom" with a large arrow pointing up the stairs. I nodded to the clerk who had just come to help me and wandered up the stairs trying not to crush the rose I had grabbed from the garden on my way out of the house. Thankyou, mum's gardening phase. As I neared the top of the stairs I could hear music blaring from inside the main ballroom where the actual prom was. As I heard the band that the prom committee had chosen for the event I thought about the favour I had asked of the committee just last night. Both money and pride were sacrificed last night and am happy to say that I missed the pride more. God knew I had enough money at the moment. I looked broodingly out over the bannister as I thought about the phonecall I had made the previous night. I was just getting to the blackmail part when a flash of blue caught my eye to my left. Turning around I saw Kat looking anxiously, I assumed, for me. I thanked my lucky stars that when she saw me she smiled. Much like the plague only far less deadly her smile made the corners of my mouth curl up and I smiled back at her.

"Wow," I said to her as I handed her the rose. And I meant it too. She looked incredible. For someone who doesn't wear makeup, jewellery or pretty dresses she seemed to know what she was doing with this prom thing.

"You too," she said with an approving nod. Thankyou cousin Louie.

Before we got to the stairway that led down to the ballroom Kat stopped me.

"I'm really sorry I questioned your motives. I was wrong." she said sincerely. The guilt swam around me like sharks around a surfer stuck in deep water.

"You're forgiven," I told her as the sharks bit.

She looked relieved and held out her arm to me, "ready for the prom?"

"Yes, ma'am," I said, taking her arm and following her into the ballroom.

As we walked into the main ballroom I hate to admit it but I kept sneaking peeks at Kat. She finally half turned to me and gave me a strange look, causing me to cease my perverted activity immediately. I grimaced as we entered the ballroom as my greatest fears about what it would all actually look like were confirmed. Although I had never actually been to a prom I had seen plenty of movies that featured this special event so I knew what they were supposed to look like and this one looked exactly like all those in all the teen movies that no-one likes. God help us all.

Kat seemed to be having the same reaction to the decor and I thanked my lucky stars that it was Donner that bought the tickets, not me. I forced a smile and turned to Kat. She seemed to be looking over in the other direction so I followed her gaze. Cameron was dancing with Bianca and looking like the happiest man alive. Bianca smiled at her sister, something I couldn't imagine her doing very often. Kat smiled genuinely back at her then turned back to me. Before I could say anything, however, a strange girl in green started to flit around us, nervously looking for something....someone?

"Have you seen him?" she asked Katm still frenzily looking around the room. Who _is_ this girl?

"Who?" Kat asked her, confused.

"_William_," the girl told her as though it was obvious.

Kat looked a little startled, "oh, Mandella. Please don't tell me you've progressed to full on hallucinations."

Ah, Mandella, Kat's friend. Mandella...Mandella...where had I heard that name apart from being best friends with Kat? Michael! She was Michael's date. He has asked her a few questions about Kat to find out whether or not she was still mad and he had found her quite charming to say the least. I smiled as I remembered the way he had flipped frantically through my english book to find a Shakespeare quote to win her over. Well, he must be around here somewhere. As Mandella and Kat both began to search through the crowd I spotted him on the stage. I pointed him out to Mandella who's face melted into a smile at the sight of him. As he made his way over to her Kat and I watched as he took her hand and kissed it. Smiling, Kat turned back to me. I think she was about to say something to me but the music stopped and another band started up. Kat's eyes lit up at the sound of it and she squealed, "Oh my God, it's-"

"I called in a favour," I told her.

The lead singer of Letters to Cleo walked over to us as the crowd parted and Kat looked as though she would float away from happiness. When the girl had made her way back to the stage Kat looked at me gratefully. I smiled and brought her in close, kissing her gently on the lips then putting my arms around her as we danced slowly to the blaring music.

"How did you get them to play?" she asked me curiously when the song was over. I shrugged. It really wasn't that complicated unfortunately. I wished I had a more impressive explanation but the story was simple.

"The guy who works the bar at Club Skunk is a good friend of mine. His sister is best friends with the lead singer. All I needed to do was ask."

Kat smiled at me. Obviously she was impressed and I felt a little bit better about my boring explanation.

"Refreshments?" I pointed to the table across the other side of the room that seemed to be displaying a stunning array of colourful punch-filled bowls. Kat nodded and grabbed my hand as I led her over to the table. Remembering Bogie Lowenstein's party the weekend before I was thankful that this was non-alcoholic. At least, I hoped it was. I quickly poured myself a cup of it and drank a few sips, waiting for the familiar burning sensation at the back of my throat. Nothing. Well, at least if anyone gets sick from drinking the punch it won't be from alcohol poisoning. After five minutes or so of chatting by the punch table, Cameron arrived with Kat's sister and I felt an unexpected rush of pride at seeing both of them looking so happy. God. I was actually parenting him. I shook the notion out of my head and smiled as they made their way over to us.

Bianca gave me a nervous smile and hurriedly started talking to her sister. I shrugged and turned to Cameron who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Thanks, man," he said to me quietly so that Kat wouldn't hear. I turned around to make sure that was the case but as soon as I saw that she was animatedly chatting to Bianca, completely oblivious to what Cameron and I were doing I turned back to Cameron.

"No problem," I told him with a smile, "having fun?"

Cameron smiled and looked at his date. I shook my head and followed his gaze. At that moment Kat turned to my way and I caught her eye, smiling. Excusing myself from Cameron I walked back over to my date and held out my hand to her, "would you like to dance?" I asked her.

She made a face at her sister then took my hand, following me through the steadily growing crowd of glamour Barbie's. When we found a spot that wasn't completely taken up by swishy skirts I put one hand around her waist and took her other hand in my own, forcing her a little closer against me.

"Where'd you learn to dance?" Kat asked me looking obviously impressed.

I shrugged, "learnt it in jail," I told her with a grin and she snorted and rolled her eyes. She looked kind of like a horse doing that and I told her so, earning myself a very sore foot as she stepped on my toes with her six-inch heel.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, pulling away from her.

"Aww, poor baby," Kat cooed, looking anything but sympathetic. I glared at her and she laughed, draping both arms around my neck and shoulders. Well, who can be mad at someone when they do that? Certainly not me. All was forgiven. Just then the band started up what could only be described as a very 'lively number' so I decided to get Kat back for her unprovoked attack and show her just how good a dancer I was.

Soon we were both laughing as I swung her around the dance floor. She wasn't bad herself, I noted. I remembered all the concert tickets she had in her room and realised she was probably used to dancing in a crowd. After a while I felt it was probably time to tell her where I really was last year.

"Milwaukee," I yelled above the music as she whizzed past me.

"What?" She yelled back.

"That's where I was last year," I explained, pulling her close for a moment before spinning her away again, "I wasn't in jail. I don't know Marilyn Manson and I didn't sleep with a Spice Girl. I don't think," I added with a grin. "You see, my grandpa, he was ill, so I spent most of the year on his couch, watching Wheel of Fourtne and eating Spaghettio's," I pulled her in and dipped her down, "the end!" I added with a flourish.

Kat laughed, "no way!" she exclaimed.

As we started dancing again Donner ran up to us and pushed us apart. Kat, used to Donner's rudeness, kept on dancing, obviously enjoying herself. In the moments that followed I would have given anything, _anything_, to stop Kat from hearing what Donner said.

She looked up, startled at hearing what she did. I looked at her helplessly, not sure of what I could possibly say. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to form any sort of real sentence before she looked at me digustedly and exclaimed, "nothing in it for you, huh?" and pushing past me towards the exit door.

I tried to give Donner the same disgusted look but failed miserably as I knew it was my fault, not his. Running after Kat I saw that something was happening between Donner and Kat's sister. I think I saw her punch him but I couldn't stay to watch as Kat was speedily disappearing. I finally caught up with her and she turned on me angrily.

"You were paid to take me out?!" she demanded, "by the one person I truly hate. I knew this was a set up!"

"Kat!" I grabbed her arm and she whirled around again, "it wasn't like that!"

"Oh really?" she was getting progressively angrier as this conversation went on, "what was it like? A down payment now and then a bonus for sleeping with me?!"

"I didn't care about the money okay?!" I tried to explain to her, "I cared about-" I hesitated for a split second and realised that what I was saying to her was true, "I cared about you."

"You are so not who I thought you were," she whispered viciously.

I don't know why I kissed her. Maybe I just thought it would make everything all better. Well, my dad always used to tell me I was a few nuts short of a Picnic Bar.

Kat pushed me away angrily and ran down the stairs as quickly as she could. I watched her go helplessly, only turning away from her when I heard someone running up behind me. I turned to see Bianca looking concerned. Wow, I thought to myself, who would have thought it would take a bastard like me to make them act sisterly towards each other?

**Yuck, so dramatic. Poor Kat! Poor Patrick! Poor....eh, bugger Joey haha. So sad! Hopefully more happier stuff in the next chapter. But for now, review! Review! Thankyou to all those people who have been reviewing and a HUGE thankyou to Via for drawing me to the fact that I had checked the box disabling anonymous comments. DONT WORRY! The box is now unchecked and I can accept reviews from EVERYONE.**


	6. Even Angels Fall

**Chapter Six**

_"Even Angels Fall"_

Bianca walked slowly over to where I stood and leaned against the railing, watching the door that her sister had just exited through. After a moment or two she spoke up.

"It wasn't your fault." she said quietly.

I looked at her surprised. That was probably the last thing I expected her to say and to tell the truth it made me feel a little bit better. Even though I knew what she said was a complete lie. I shook my head and continued to look out over the balcony. I thought that Bianca would leave after a while but she stayed and waited for me to move. I did finally, and she looked a little relieved. Maybe she was worried I was going to hurl myself off the balcony. I looked at her and found that she was looking directly back at me. Finally she spoke again.

"Do you actually care about her?" She looked as though she didn't want to hear the answer, maybe she thought I'd say no.

I nodded and she looked relieved once again.

"Thankyou," she said before smiling at Cameron who was hovering in the doorway looking slightly awkward and leaving me to join him. They walked back into the ballroom leaving me to wallow in the sorrow I didn't fell for myself but for the girl I had just caused an immense amount of pain.

_"What was it like? A down payment now and then a bonus for sleeping with me?"_

Did she mean that? Did she really think that our night would lead to a severe bedding whether she wanted to or not? Or did that mean she wanted to sleep with me? I felt sick and sat down, breathing heavily through my nose to stop the bile rising in my throat. I could hear the music still playing back in the ballroom. Well, so much for a night at the prom.

As I climbed into the back of the taxi I thought about the things I could do to make it up to Kat. Was there anything I _could_ do? I began to go through the possibilities. Flowers, chocolates, concert tickets, they all seeemed so worthless. Then I stopped. Did I even _want_ to make it up to her? This girl was possibly the most fantastic person I had ever met and this was the third time I have had to redeem myself in her eyes. Maybe I should just leave her alone. She'd be better off anyway. By now I had almost reached the front door of my house and the notion of giving her up completely made me feel even sicker than before. Bending over into the bushes I retched and regurgitated the entire contents of that days meals. Wiping my mouth I pulled my key out of my pocket and let myself inside. I trudged up to my bedroom, closed the door and lay down on my bed without bothering to get undressed. I kicked off my shoes, pulled the covers over me and waited for sleep to take me. Three hours later I was still waiting so I sighed loudly and swung my feet over the side of my bed. Walking over to my desk I opened the jar I had stashed all Joey's money in. I pulled out the numerous notes and spread them out on my bed. Sifting through them I counted them quickly. After a minute or two I sat back in awe, staring at the small fortune I now held in my hands.

Four hundred and thirty six dollars.

Hopping out of bed once more I sat down at my computer and switched it on. When it had logged on I connected to the internet and began to search.

"Guitar stores, Seattle" my search was entitled. I watched as page after page listed itself in the search engine. I clicked on the first one and began to take notes.

When I finally emerged into the kitchen the next day my mother looked at me, startled. I glared at her and she shrugged and turned back to making her muesli. As soon as I had finished breakfast I got into my car and drove into town. Soon enough my car started making that familiar clunking noise I hate. Lack of sleep and my current situation made me care less about the stupid engine than I ever had before. I cranked up the radio and satm satisfied at the song that blared out of the speakers. Looking up I realised I was almost at a stop sign so I slammed down on the brake pedal, cursing myself for this reckless driving I seemed to be doing.

_"Don't drive angry, Patrick."_ My father's voice filtered through my mind as clear as if he were sitting in the passenger seat next to me.

_"I'm not," I muttered under my breath and he looked at me scrutinizingly._

_"Right. Patrick, if you drive like this all the time you are going to end up-" he stopped suddenly, turning back to the waiting light._

_I knew what he was going to say and I felt a sudden thunk in the pit of my stomach as though someone had just thrown a rock into the water and it had settled in my gut. I carefully avoided looking him in the eye and drove off as the light turned green._

I jumped at the sound of a horn behind me and saw that I had kind of zoned out and the light above me was green. Annoyed at myself for getting all remeniscent I drove off carefully. I thought things like that only happened in movies. Where people zoned out inside their own memories and relived something awful. Well, I had quite a lot to relive, I supposed. I could always think about Sarah and the phonecall. But right now I'm on a mission.

With four hundred of the dollars in my Joey Donner jar at home in my pocket I climbed out of my car that was now making hissing noises. Ignoring this inconvenient sound I stepped into the street and searched around for the store I was looking for. Ah, there it is. Walking in, I could hear different chords of music coming from throughout the store where people were trying out the different guitars for sale. I approached the man behind the counter and waited for him to stop singing along to the radio and notice he had a customer. Fortunately that didn't take too long and he soon turned to me with the sort of smile that every shop assistant has.

"How can I help you?" he asked me.

"My name is Patrick Verona. I sent you that email," I told him. Hopefully he had received it. I did send it at three in the morning.

"Verona...Verona..." the man wracked his brain for any sign that name existed in his memory. Obviously the little lightbulb went off after a moment because he smiled and said, "you're the one after the Stratocaster right?"

I nodded and he disappeared into the store room, returning a minute or two later with a very lumpy looking package. Once the package was minus the tape and numerous layers of bubble wrapping, a guitar was revealed. Not just any guitar, the man behind the counter assured me, but a Fender Stratocaster. Used by the best apparently. Whatever, it's not like I would be playing it.

"How much?" I asked the man, pulling my wallet out of the back pocket of my jeans.

"Three hundred thirty," he told me happily, "how will you be paying?"

"Cash," I told him as I counted out the bills and handed them over.

"Present for someone?" he asked as he put the bills in the cash register. I nodded and the man whistled through his teeth, "well, whoever they are, they are very lucky to have you for a friend."

I resisted from correcting him but merely smiled.

"What?" lost in my own thoughts I didn't hear what he said. I could have sworn he said something about a grave and I hoped I was wrong.

"I said would you like something engraved?" the man repeated impatiently.

"Oh. How much does it cost?" I asked him.

"Twenty bucks," he told me, pointing to a sign on the counter displaying the words 'engraving: $20'.

"Right," I muttered. I told him what I wanted engraved on it and he wrote it on a post-it note and stuck it on the underside of the guitar before wrapping back in bubble wrap.

"Come back and get it Monday," he told me as he disappeared back into the room behind him, returning minus the instrument I had just purchased. I nodded and turned around to leave but he called me back.

"Uh, son?" I turned back around to face him and he held up the change I had forgotten to take from him. I retraced my steps and held out my hand for the money. As he handed it to me he he motioned behind himself towards, what I assumed, was the guitar in the store room.

"Girlfriend?"

I hesitated for a moment then nodded before turning around and leaving the store as fast as I could.

Sunday went by pretty quickly due to the fact that I stayed in bed until around two in the afternoon when my mother found me and abused her role as parent to get me out of bed. It's not like I was asleep or anything, I was awake, but since I couldn't think of anything else to do I figured that bed was a better option than the alternative which was either cleaning the house with mum or doing homework. Mum had been pretty good about not asking about the night before but I didn't want to be there when curiosity finally got the better of her. But after a while she grew wise of my plan to stay in bed for the rest of my life and hauled off my covers, leaving me with no choice but to get up.

"We need milk, washing powder and a mousetrap from the shops," was mum's cruel awakening as she threw my doona on the floor. Unfortunately no amount of glaring seemed to thaw her ice-covered heart and she insisted I get ot of bed, get into my car and drive 10 minutes for strange household items.

"What do we need a mousetrap for?" I asked her as I walked into the kitchen pulling a (hopefully) clean shirt over my head.

Mum pointed to where the cupboar stopped to give way to the space given for a refrigerator. Since our fridge isn't as large as the one that belonged to the people who built the house it left a gap. Upon closer inspection I saw that what she was actually pointing to was not the wall but a small hole underneath the small skirting board that ran around the bottom of the wall the length of the kitchen.

I wrinkled my nose, "yuck."

"Yuck," mum agreed, "that's why we need a mousetrap."

On the way down to the supermarket I thought about the sonnet that Mr. Morgan wanted us to write for Literature class. Shit. With a jolt I realised it was due the next day and prayed that something would distract him from requiring to read mine.

**Wow, I just keep churning out these random chapters don't I? Haha anyway Read and Review! Thank you to my faithful reviewers who have so far given me their opinions. I feel so special! Like I have my own little following or something Lol. Anyways I promise I will have a better chapter next time so dont worry!**


	7. I Hate

**Chapter Seven**

_"I hate..."_

Going into the kitchen the next morning my mother had already left for work but upon finding a note attached to the milk carton I figured at least she had thought of me. Pulling it off the carton I saw that it read:

_Patrick. Don't worry about school today. Don't ask how I know what happened because I don't know, I merely know something is troubling you because I am your mother. Have a lovely day and don't forget to pick up the laundry from the dry cleaners after school._

_Love always, mum._

_PS- don't drink out of the carton._

I grumbled as I tossed the note aside and drank directly out of the carton anyway. School. She didn't actually expect me to go, did she?

Okay, so I ended up going to school anyway. It's not like I could avoid Kat forever and hopefully I could get that guitar for her by the end of the day and she will have forgiven me by the time Buffy starts.

Right. Keep dreaming, Verona.

Hopefully the guitar _will_ convince her the teensiest bit that I am sorry, though.

As I parked my car (now making a really weird plonking noise that I had never head it make before) in the student lot I noticed Kat's car parked quite close to the main entrance of the school. Well, I see she didn't have any reservations about coming to school today. In fact she even seemed to have gotten here reasonably early judging from her length from the school gate. As I climbed out of the front seat, pulling my bag behind me I looked vaguely at my timetable to see what I had first period. No matter how long I had been going to this school I still had no idea what lesson I had next. I was soon holding the timetable closer to my eyes as my vague reading of the sheet in front of me proved to me that I had lit class just before lunch. Great. Perfect. Nothing could be better than this. And the earth is flat.

As I walked the familiar path to the literature class after my first two periods I reviewed over and over in my head what I would say to Kat when I saw her. Just before I pushed the door open I made a decision. I wouldn't say aything to her. Time heals all wounds and she would get over me soon enough. Good plan, Verona.

"I will." As Mr. Morgan muttered under his breath at the knowledge that Kat certainly had little reservations about saying what she wanted when she felt it right, Kat made her way up to the front of class and cleared her throat confidently. Even before she started I wished that I could be anywhere but where I was right now. Sitting with my hands slightly in front of my face I surveyed Kat and braced myself for what she was about to say.

"I hate the way you talk to me..."

Yeah, sorry about that one, Kat. But it's not like you've always been the nicest to me either.

"...and the way you cut your hair..."

Wait, what's wrong with my hair? Great, another thing to add to the list of things she doesn't like about me.

"...I hate the way you drive my car..."

Would I have had to drive your car if you didnt pass out from excessive alcohol consumption in the first place?

"...I hate it when you stare..."

I remembered the way I couldn't stop looking at her at the prom and immediately looked away from her in slight embarassment.

"...I hate your big dumb combat boots..."

Just take another dig at my appearance why don't you, Kat?

"...and the way you read my mind..."

Okay, I looked back at her. Well, she's not exactly ugly is she?!

"...I hate you so much it makes me sick..."

Well, at least I'm not the only one feeling as though I'm about to regurgitate my breakfast right now.

"...It even makes me rhyme..."

God, she really is beautiful.

"...I hate the way you're always right..."

Me? Right? What's going on here?

"...I hate it when you lie..."

Don't worry, Kat. I hate it too.

"...I hate it when you make me laugh..."

I smiled a little at that but hid it beneath my hands. Unfortunately, my smile soon faded quickly from my lips as Kat said the next line of her sonnet.

"...even worse when you make me cry..."

It was like a dagger was winding my insides around and around, pulling them from where they should be to wind around a sharp, dangerous object. From then on, every line Kat said was like the dagger was giving an extra wrench inside my body. Kat's crying was fuelling the winding. As she went on I could feel it getting more and more painful.

"...I hate it when you're not around..."

The dagger was winding around...

"...and the fact that you didn't call..."

And around...

"...but mostly I hate the way I dont hate you..."

And around...

"...not even close..."

I could feel it pulling on my insides. One more tug and I felt I would cry out in pain.

"...not even a little bit..."

I gasped inwardly, being careful not to make any kind of outward noise. I began to feel as though it were possible to die without anyone noticing.

"...not even at all."

And with that last line, she looked straight at me. Goading the feeling that had gripped my stomach. I felt like I was about to throw up and hoped beyond all hope that any emotion I was feeling wasn't showing on the outside. I wanted desperately to say something to her. To comfort her. To take her in my arms and not let anyone or anything hurt her ever again. One part of me was feeling guilt that I had never felt before. And yet, another part of me screamed in joy.

She doesn't hate me.

As the class watched Kat put a hand over her eyes and walk straight out of the classroom I wanted to follow. Once the door had closed I knew that all eyes previously on Katarina Stratford were now placed directly on me. I could feel them boring holes through my skin, adding to the pain the dagger was causing. The thirty minutes that followed that small drama were the longest in my life. Fortunately after Kat's departure, Mr. Morgan dismissed the reciting of any more poems for that lesson. After ten minutes or so the rest of the class had forgotten Kat had even stood up and beared her soul to the rest of the class. But I didn't forget. And as soon as the bell went I jumped out of my seat, ignored everyone else who had remembered Kat's poem and walked straight to my car. Ignoring the clunking noises I revved her into full gear and sped out of the school gates.

The next time I sped back through them I held in my passenger seat three hundred and fifty dollars worth of expensive instrument. Looking frantically around the parking lot for Kat's car I finally spotted it and breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't left yet.I tried to park reasonably close to Kat's car so that I could catch her when she came out of class at the end of the day but parking spaces were limited. The closest space I got was a few rows away from Kat's car but I settled for it. I checked my watch and saw that there was about ten minutes before the final bell signalled the end of the school day. And, upon finding out this information my palms began to become denonstrably sweaty, indicating that a confrontation with Katarina Stratford was not high on my list of favourite things to look forward to.

As the end of the last period drew closer I realised that the only way out of this was to take the rats way out. Grabbing the guitar I carried it past some of the students that had gotten out of school early for one reason or another and avoided the strange looks I was getting. When I reached Kat's car I found that all the doors were unlocked. Not unusual for a person owning a car such as hers. Nothing to steal, nothing to lock, really. I placed the guitar in the front seat and walked back to my car, making sure that I could see the car visibly every step I took. Not only did I want to miss Kat coming back but I didn't really fancy saying goodbye to the three hundred fifty clams I spent on it. Eventually Kat appeared out of the crowd, looking thankfully a lot calmer than she did as she left literature class. I watched from my car as she arrived at her car and looked inside it. Upon seeing that the gift was met with a look of happiness I ventured towards her, confidence enhancing a bit.

"Nice, huh?" I said in her ear. She jumped a bit, looking behind herself at me. I tried to read her features for any sign of hatred, forgiveness but she kept her face carefully blank.

"A fender strat?" she asked incredulously, "is it for me?"

"Yeah," I answered her, "I thought you could use it. You know, when you start your band. Besides, I had some extra cash lying around. Some asshole paid me to take out this really great girl."

Kat smiled at me and my stomach flipped over.

"But I screwed up. I, um," I blushed a little at what I was about to say but Kat looked at me expectantly, "I fell for her," I finished, looking down to hide my embarassment.

"Really?" Kat said quietly. I looked up and saw that she looked a lot happier than she did in literature class and felt myself getting cocky again.

"It's not everyday you find a girl who will flash someone to get you out of detention!" I told her with a grin and she blushed a little herself.

"Oh, God..." she said with a laugh.

Praying that she wouldn't push me away this time I smiled at her then leant down and kissed her lightly on the mouth. She let me for a moment or two then broke away and looked at me accusingly.

"You can't just buy me a guitar everytime you screw up, you know." she told me.

I winced. She was right. However, this didn't really seem like the time that jokes would be inappropriate.

"Yeah, I know," I told her as I pushed a strand away from her forehead, "but then, you know, there's always drums, bass and maybe even one day a tamourine."

Kat smiled sarcastically as though she found my small apology very trying on her patience but I didn't care. I kissed her again which, to my disappointment, she broke away from once again.

"And don't think you can just-" she was cut off by my mouth, closing the distance between us with a kiss which I did not let her escape from. She made a small noise of protest before relaxing into it and wrapping her arms around me, opening her mouth for further invitation which I gratefully accepted. I had been waiting two days to kiss her like this again and she wasn't getting away so easily this time. Happiness and relief washed over me and I pulled her closer to me, holding her more tightly. Kat. My girlfriend. I hoped that I would never have to make things so heavily up to her again. I didn't want to hurt her ever again but I knew that it would probably happen again in the future. For now, though, she was mine and I would make sure that things stayed that way for a long time.

**Awwww so cute I think I am going to gag! For those of you who are derranged and actually like this story DO NOT WORRY! It may be the end of the movie but the end of the story it is not! Next chapter to be posted as soon as I write it! Thankyou so much to those who have been reviewing regularly, its what keeps me going! You are my muses! And a message for Elijahbeth - there will be more Cameron action in the next couple of chapters I PROMISE!!!**


	8. A Resolution In Itself

**Chapter Eight:**

_"A Resolution In Itself"_

We broke away from each other and smiled. Ignoring the rude remarks we were getting from some of the students about us being in the way or even some of the 'get a room' variety Kat picked up her new guitar and looked it over in marvel.

"You like it?" I asked her. I knew she did but I just wanted to clarify that this would make up for the total bastard-like behaviour I had been exhibiting over the past few weeks.

"Are you serious?" Kat sounded incredulous that I even had to ask and I laughed.

"Just making sure," I told her with a smile.

As Kat ran her hands over it for the eighteenth time since she found it in her car's front seat, her expression changed as she felt the back of it. As she turned it over I could already feel the heat creeping up my neck and into my cheeks. I'd forgotten momentarily about the inscription I'd paid for the previous day. Kat's eyes ran themselves over the small area on the back of the guitar, flicking back and forth over the words as I felt my cheeks reddening more and more by the second. Finally she finished reading and looked up at me, a happy smile playing across her lips. Compulsively to cover my embarassment I leaned over and kissed her on the mouth again.

"What are you doing tonight?" she asked me when we broke apart.

I scrunched up my face and thought about that, "the sonnet for lit class," I told her with a grin and she laughed.

"You didn't finish it on the weekend?" she asked me, strumming on a few strings of the guitar.

"No," I admitted, "my mind was pretty full."

Kat nodded and bent down over the guitar once more to hide the happy blush that had creeped into her cheeks.

"What about tomorrow night?" I asked her. Kat looked up from her strumming and smiled.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked me.

I shrugged, "how about going to see the Corn Dodgers?" I suggested, "they're playing tomorrow night in the park."

Kat nodded, "all right. I have to be back by eleven, though."

I brushed some hair out of her face, "I can arrange that."

"What are you doing now?" Kat asked me as she put the guitar back into her car. I shrugged again. Truth be told I was meant to be helping my mother with a little 'spring cleaning' but I was not about to admit that.

"Nothing, why?" I asked her innocently.

Kat shrugged and indicated to her car, "wanna come over?" she asked me, pulling her car door open and ducking to sit in the front seat.

"Sure," I nodded, pulling out my keys. Most of the student population had left by now and only a few cars belonging to those with after school extra-curricular activities remained.

"See you soon then," Kat smiled and pulled her door shut behind her with a lous creaking noise. She shuddered, "I hate it when it makes that noise," she remarked with a smile.

"I can identify with that," I told her.

During the ride to Kat's I had a small attack of concience take over my brain so I made a u-turn and drove quickly back home to tell my mother that I wouldn't be able to help her clean the house today.

"But, Patrick, you promised," mum whined. I couldn't believe it, she's meant to the the responsible, mature one.

"Yeah, I know," I told her guiltily, "but you remember Kat?"

"The one who's heart you stomped all over?" mum asked nonchalantly.

Ok, I may have done that but it wasn't on purpose and I so did not deserve that.

"That hurt," I told her forlornly. She smiled.

"It was meant to. Go on then," she said, whacking me on the rear end with her broom, "before she dumps you again."

Scowling at my mother I walked back out of the house to my car and sped (well, clunked) over to the Stratford's house. As soon as I pulled up in front of their house I felt an unfamiliar fluttering in my stomach that had nothing to do with the jolting ride over here. If Mr. Stratford was as overprotective as everyone claimed him to be, I certainly hoped Kat hadn't told him about prom night. As I rung the doorbell I could hear a guitar being tuned from somewhere above my head and smiled. Bianca answered the door with a big smile on her face that faltered a little when she saw me.

"I thought you'd be Cameron," she told me as she let me inside.

"Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint," I told her, rolling my eyes behind her back.

"Kat!" Bianca yelled up the stairs.

"Down in a minute!" I heard Kat yell back.

Bianca turned to me, "she'll be down in a minute," she said to me unnecessarily.

"So I heard," I remarked as I looked around the house. Like many Seattle homes this one was not all that dissimilar to my own. As I looked around I saw Bianca open her mouth out of the corner of my eye.

"What?" I asked her, turning to face her. She closed her mouth.

"How did you know I was going to say something?" she asked me, confusedly.

"You opened your mouth," I explained with a shrug, "generally that means someone is going to speak."

"Oh," Bianca said shortly, "well I was just going to say...thankyou, I guess."

"Oh yeah?" I looked at her in surprise, "for what?"

Either the lighting in this room was really bad or Bianca Stratford was blushing.

"For, you know, picking up the pieces, so to speak. Kat seems a lot happier than she was a day or two ago."

"Oh," I wasn't sure of what to say. Sure, I may have made it up to Kat but then again, I was also the one who upset her in the first place.

"It was nothing," I told Bianca glumly.

Bianca nodded and looked up the stairs expecting to see Kat. She was obviously getting as uncomfortable as I was.

"Just go on up," she suggested to me as the doorbell rang again. Bianca smiled and practically broke a speed record to answer the door. When Cameron stepped over the threshold I smiled at him before ascending the stairs in search of Kat. When I got to the top of the stairs I looked around for Kat's room. It wasn't hard to find. All I really had to was follow the sound of the guitar. Kat's door was slightly open so I didn't feel as bad walking in on her as I might have if it were closed.

"Hey," I said with a smile as I closed the door behind me. Kat looked up from her bed where she sat, strumming away on her new guitar, her old, accoustic one sitting beside her.

"Hey," she answered, returning the smile and putting the guitar on the bed as she leaned over to give me a kiss. Sitting down on her bed I looked around her room. I'd been in a lot of girls rooms in my time but I had to say this one was the most interesting. Posters and used concert ticket stubs covered every available space on her walls and even on her wardrobe.

"What are you looking at?" she asked me warily, following my gaze around her walls.

I stopped my little tour and looked back at her, "everything," I told her simply. Kat continued to look at me strangely but got up off her bed and started to walk over to her door.

"Come on," she said to me, "I'm hungry."

I shrugged and followed her down the stairs and into the kitchen where Cameron and Bianca were. Walking in, I immediately wished we had stayed upstairs. Kat cleared her throat and Bianca, red-faced and embarassed, pushed Cameron away who was, if possble, even redder-faced.

Giving Cameron a nod of approval he glared at me and I laughed as I helped Kat get some munchies out of the cupboard.

"Want anything?" Kat asked her sister behind her shoulder. Bianca, still looking reasonably scandalised at being caught nodded and took a place at the breakfast bar. Cameron, however, excused himself and headed for the nearest bathroom.

"I wonder where he's going," I mused to Kat who grinned at Bianca who turned an even darker shade of crimson.

When the chips were in a bowl and the dip had been opened, Cameron had returned from the bathroom looking a litle more normal, I sat back and asked Kat what she was going to call her band.

Kat thought for a moment, "I don't know," she admitted, "I suppose I'll need to form one before I actually think of a name for it."

I nodded, "fair enough."

"Are you going to start a band?" Cameron asked hesitantly. I wasn't sure but I thought Cameron still showed signs of being quite terrified of his girlfriend's sister.

Kat looked at him strangely then nodded, "well, I have a guitar now. A proper one," she smiled at me and I smiled back, ignoring the looks Bianca gave us both.

Bianca, who had apparently overcome her previous discrepencies, was looking at Cameron with a face full of disgust at seeing her sister act like she does. Although I wasn't really sure Bianca noticed that she herself was a great example of the way Kat was acting for the first time. As I smiled at Kat I let my gaze wander over to the clock that was hanging over the refrigerator.

"Shit!" I said, jumping out of my seat, "I gotta get home!"

"Already?" Kat looked disappointed and I felt a little guilty at leaving in such a hurry.

"My mum really wants me home," I told her regretfully.

"Well, let me walk you to your car then," she suggested to me, taking my hand and leading me towards the front door. I nodded and walked with her. When we got to my car I turned to give Kat a goodbye kiss which she let me do before turning it into a hug.

"Thank you," she whispered into my ear and I smiled at her before kissing her on the forehead and climbing into my car, hoping it wouldn't disgrace itself by not starting. Luckily it started with very little effort and I gave Kat a wave as I drove off. Once I had rounded the corner I smiled to myself about what I had gotten engraved on the guitar. The message was still fresh in my mind as I drove along.

_Kat,_ it had read.

_I know I am not the best guy in the world,_

_and that guitars don't fix everything_.

_But for now, let me say that I am sorry._

_Good luck with your band._

_I'll always be there for you._

_Patrick._

**IT'S FINISHED!!! Haha, you don't know how long it took me to write that chapter. Next chapter should be on the way soon. Please review. Just for Elijahbeth, that was a little more Cameron but more is also on the horizon. Even though the horizon is an imaginary line that recedes as you approach it. Meh.**


	9. A Surprise Phonecall

**Chapter Nine**

"_A surprise phonecall"_

As I drove home I found myself thinking more and more about Katarina Stratford. I know it is lame but I was head over heels for the girl. I had felt this way about a girl once before. Her name was Chloe and she moved from Seattle two years before. We had tried to keep up a long distance relationship but she eventually found somebody new in Boston where she had moved to and I had to live with that. I hadn't thought about Chloe in a while, I thought to myself in slight surprise. I smiled to myself as I thought of the reason why.

When I got home mum was out which surprised me as she had been so vigilant about when I was meant to be home to help her clean. I shrugged it off and went about my 'getting home' business of turning on some music and wandering about the house with a bowl of cereal in my hands. I stopped in front of the living room window and looked out into the street, watching people drive along the shady street into their driveways, and saw mum's Ford drive into the driveway. She saw me in the window giving her a questioning look and she smiled and waved.

When she burst into the house through the front door right next to me she exclaimed, "sorry I'm late!"

"Wa oo ee?" I asked her, mouth full of Captain Crunch cereal.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Patrick," she admonished me with a wave of her hand as she set down her handbag.

I swallowed the offending cereal and tried again, "where have you been?" I asked her again more clearly.

Mum looked vaguely at the clock before turning back to me with a snap, "what? Oh! I went to the supermarket after work to get dinner."

I searched around her handbag for any sign of grocery shopping but there was nothing. I felt compelled as her son to ask her where this aforementioned shopping was.

"Uh, where is it then?" I asked her suspiciously.

"What?" she asked me.

I rolled my eyes, this was getting boring, "where's the shopping?"

Mum watched me for a moment as though formulating an answer in her mind before she said airily, "oh, they didn't have anything good. Let's order in tonight." And with that she grabbed her handbag from where she laid it on the sofa and walked up the stairs.

I decided to ignore my mother's temporary absence of sanity and merely wandered up the stairs after her, heading for my bedroom.

Later on, when the pizza had been ordered and we had sat down to eat, Mum still seemed a little spacey. I decided to ignore it, mainly due to the fact that it could be due to something I really didn't want to know about. I had lived in the same house with only a female long enough to know that you don't go prying when it could be something you don't want to hear.

After dinner I left Mum to flick absentmindedly through a magazine while I went upstairs to finish off some homework that I had been putting off for too long.

By nine o'clock I had almost finished my sonnet for literature class. Well, I was pretty close to almost finishing it anyway. Okay, I was reclining back on my computer chair trying to balance a pen on my nose. Anyway, the phone rang and I leapt to get it in case it was Kat.

"Hello?" I said into the receiver, hoping I sounded sophisticated and manly.

"Verona? You got a cold?" came the slightly high-pitched voice of Bratty, a mate of mine who didn't go to my school. In all actual fact, I wasn't really sure where he went. Or how old he was for that matter.

"Nah, mate," I told him as I threw the pen onto the desk, "just manly. What are you up to?" I asked him quickly before he could make any sort of comment about my current self-proclaimed state of maleness. Or lack thereof.

Luckily, Bratty wasn't interested in my manliness. "I need a favour," he told me matter-of-factly.

"No," I declined immediately. I knew what Bratty's favours were likely to entail and had no desire to indulge myself in the idea that whatever he wanted me to do this time would be any different to last time.

"Awww," Bratty whined through the receiver, "come on, man! It's not that bad, I promise."

"No," I repeated flatly, reaching for the pen again and resuming my earlier attempts to balance it on my nose.

"I need someone to drive to California with me," Bratty continued, refusing to give up his efforts to get me to do something illegal with him.

"Get Trey to go with you," I suggested as the pen fell to the floor. I bent to pick it up as Bratty rejected my suggestion.

"Nah, he got busted again. His dad barely lets him out of the house now."

"CJ?" I recommend one of the guys I met through Bratty but I could almost see him shaking his head.

"Sorry, man, it's you or nobody."

"What do you need in California?" I asked him warily, "and why do you need me to go with you?"

"I'm picking up a car," he told me in a low voice and I could tell that someone had just walked into the room that he didn't want to hear about his plans.

"Stolen?" I asked in the same low voice, leaning back to make sure my mother was nowhere in sight. Even though I was in my bedroom I had left the door open and she could be walking past.

"Yeah," my fears were confirmed and Bratty continued, "you in?"

"I'd get to drive the legal car back, right?" I asked him cautiously. Even though I had declined so adamantly in the first place, there was no denying the thrill of doing something illegal.

"Course," he told me as though it were obvious, "my house, 6am Saturday."

I nodded to myself, "okay." Realising that if we hung up I would have to go back to doing my homework, I stalled for a little bit and started more of a conversation. "So, uh, heard from Arturo?"

"Yeah. He called me from California a couple days ago. Said he was going to come back next week but he needed to get some cash first."

I shook my head. I didn't want to know what Arturo would do for cash and I said so to Bratty who laughed, "yeah, I didn't ask either." After a moments silence he asked, "so where you been, Verona? I haven't seen you at Mickey's in a while."

Mickey was a friend of ours who pretty much threw a party every night. If you wanted somewhere to stay or even live for a while, you'd go to Mickey's place. Nobody knew where he got the money to host so many parties and nobody felt the need to ask any time soon. Most of the guys there were like Bratty and Arturo who basically did whatever they wanted and nobody had seen them at school for a while.

And then there was me. I live with my mother, go to school almost regularly and I have a strange accent. Oh well.

"Yeah, I've been busy," I told him, not wanting to go into detail.

Bratty accepted this and yawned, "well, I've been up since yesterday so I think I'll hit the sack. Catch ya, Verona."

I was about to hang up the phone when I heard his voice again.

"What?" I put the receiver to my ear again.

"I said, I have something else to ask you. Friday night can you go to-"

I laughed, "nah, man. Sorry."

I heard him pleading with me as I hung up the phone and laughed to myself. I knew what was happening Friday night and I had no desire whatsoever to involve myself in it in any way.

Just as I lay the phone down and went back to my homework the phone rang again. I picked it up and said immediately, "Bratty, man, I told you I wasn't interested-" But someone cut me off.

"Patrick?" a voice sounding scarily familiar spoke my name, "is that you?"

"Who's this?" I asked almost fearfully. I couldn't tell why I was so afraid to know the answer but something in my subconscious told me I did not want to know who this man was.

"Son," the man laughed a little, "it's Dad."

I almost dropped the phone in shock. It slipped from my hand a little and as I put it back to my ear all I heard was.

"I'm out of jail and I'm coming to Seattle."

**Wow, his dad. Hmm, what could happen here..... Also, think about what could happen in California! I am really sorry if it is totally impossible to get to California in the space of 12 hours but I am from Australia and have no idea how long it takes to get from Seattle to California. For all intensive purposes lets just say that this is total fiction and in fictional stories, anything can happen! REVIEW!!!!!!!!!! **

**PS – apolloskiki? Yes, some Aussie's really DO speak like that. Problem?**


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